Restaurant review: Honey & Co, Fitzrovia, central London

Middle Eastern food is fast overtaking Vietnamese as my favourite cuisine to eat, so I was all over it when it was suggested we pop to Honey & Co to try their breakfast. For a mere £16.50, the table is presented with a selection of meze, breads, olives, pickles, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit and homemade jams. Then everyone gets to choose their own eggs. It's one of the best value breakfasts I've had in London. The amount of food included is INSANE.

Highlights for me included the incredible addictive ashura grain cereal packed with sweet caramelised nuts topped with tart greek yogurt, the creamy hummus drizzled in olive oil and the delicious green Shakshuka with two Cornish eggs boasting a blinding orange yolk. I wish I had room to have it all over again. And again. And again.

A tiny restaurant tucked in what seems like no man's land in central London, Honey & Co is like eating in someone's living room. It's a tad annoying that you can only have the table for 90 minutes as I believe Middle Eastern food should be drawn out to be enjoyed. But alas, that's what you get when you dine in such a popular restaurant - we booked brunch three weeks in advance. The food was absolutely delicious, the staff were attentive and now I'm frantically trying to get my hands on their cookbook to try out their recipes at home.

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Hotel review: Hotel Grand Ferdinand, Vienna, Austria

As we were only in Vienna for a couple of nights, I wanted to make the most of it by booking us into a really nice hotel. Enter Hotel Grand Ferdinand. Located about a 15 minute walk from the centre, this sleek and stylish hotel couldn't be in a better location. Boasting three restaurants and a rooftop bar, there's no need to really leave it either if you don't want to. It seemed like the perfect hotel for us. And it was.

We booked the smallest room which worked out about £130 plus 13% tax and a local city tax when you check out. What it was lacking in size, it certainly didn't lack in style. The quirky suitcase minibar was a lovely touch and I loved the opulent marble sink against the cool white and grey colour scheme. The bed was comfy and the open plan bathroom helped to make the room feel bigger. We certainly didn't feel cramped. It was well worth the money and was lovely to have a little bit of luxury in such a beautiful city.

We made it up to the rooftop infinity pool one night which was slightly surreal looking out over at the the Viennese skyline. Ordering a G+T, I remember feeling so carefree, emotional at being able to travel and incredibly lucky that I live in such a diverse and cultural continent. When I got the bill, I didn't quite feel so lucky then so keep in mind that the bar isn't cheap but definitely stop for one! Towels and dressing gowns are provided which is a lovely touch.

I can't vouch for the restaurants as we didn't eat there but if you ever find yourself in Vienna, definitely book yourself in for a few nights of luxury. I will certainly stay here again if I ever find myself in the Austrian city.

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Recipe: sweet potato and chickpea vegetarian stew

I'm trying to make a conscious decision to eat less meat and adapted some of my cookbooks to be vegetarian. I find it encourages me to be a lot more adventurous with my meals as it's so easy to just go for meat, potatoes and veggies. I omitted the chicken from the original recipe and bulked it up with more beans and vegetables. It was delicious and even better the next day when I had the leftovers for lunch. Definitely something I'd rustle up again.

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chicken Cosimo

Feeds 6

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1 bag of chopped butternut squash
1 can of butterbeans
1 can of chickpeas
1 large onion
500ml of vegetable stock
1 pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika

Method
1. Pour the olive oil into a large casserole dish and cook the chopped onion until soft but not quite browned.

2. Stir in all the spices and flour before popping in the sweet potato and butternut squash. Cook for ten minutes.

3. Pour in the chicken stock and give it a good stir. Bring it to the boil.

4. Once boiled, add the drained chickpeas and butterbeans. Give it another stir.

5. Pop the lid on and put it in the oven for around 25 minutes until the sweet potato is tender.

6. Take out the oven and leave it for ten minutes with the lid still on. Then serve. I enjoyed it with some crusty bread.

As always I would love to know what you all think and do send me a tweet with a picture if you make it!

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